SMAKR News

SMAKR
SITE NEWS & EDITORIAL

This page serves the purpose to advise News about the SMAKR site as well as be an Editorial.

This page is not updated very often but you will see a timestamp below to tell you when it was last updated, as well as on the home page (when I remember to update that one!) and also in the What's New page. As always, comments and suggestions are welcome : email smakr1@optusnet.com.au

Last updated : 14 Mar 2009

GOOGLE WARNING ON ACCESSING SMAKR
(March 2009)

If you have been accessing SMAKR from Google recently you may have noticed they have included a warning indicating that "this site may harm your computer".

While I am very disappointed this has been posted by Google (and am in the process of emailing them asking them to remove or clarify their position further) I must stress to all readers that this is not the work of SMAKR, and is nothing that I have personally done to acquire such a negative Google statement, and is certainly well and truly beyond my control.

The warning has been placed due to the actions of FORTUNECITY not SMAKR.

As a bit of background, Fortunecity provide a free webhosting service in return for imposing advertising banners and pop ups on their members' sites. A while ago (a year or two) they were accepting advertising which ... well wasn't really advertising. Some of the pop up advertising they allowed on their members' sites were actually Malware, spyware and other malicious programs designed to infiltrate the computer of any one who clicked on them. I'm not sure whether Fortunecity were aware they were allowing this to occur but regardless of this, it happened.

This lead to a number of complaints being levelled at themselves and obviously Google and as a result Google have taken the view that a warning needs to be added to the search page.

Surprising as it may seem but personally I actually agree with Google's stance. I am certainly disheartened and very annoyed that this may have been occurring to readers who have accessed SMAKR pages. If you are one of them, feel free to level your frustration at Fortunecity! But please remember that I am a member of Fortunecity and thus have absolutely no control over the pop up advertising or any other stuff they impose.

Unfortunately I am caught between a rock and a hard place.

I have scoured the Net over the past many months (and few years) trying to establish an alternative free webhosting service that offers the same amount (or more) space as Fortunecity and also has a minimum of restrictions, as per Fortunecity. It would take a mammoth effort to transfer files onto a new webhosting service, so I need to find one that is right. Unfortunately, I have yet to find one! A few I have looked at that appeared right, did not quite match up as needed.

In otherwords if I could find a comparable service, Fortunecity would have been dumped quite some time ago.

Sooner or later I can see that I will have to start purchasing my own web hosting service to fix this issue once and for all. For me, it's really just a matter of finding the time and right service which is difficult. So, watch this space! When I do move to a new service, this will be obvious from the home page.

Thank you all for your patience and continuing to access SMAKR. I believe that Fortunecity has their act together now with regard to not allowing malicious advertising to be displayed, but I also think "the damage has been done".

Mark B

Remember, I am still ALWAYS seeking Kit Review submissions to keep the site growing and to continue to provide a FREE useful resource to all modellers. I am also needing missing box art submitted which I cannot get hold of. If you are at all able to help with these, please do so, it would be much appreciated! More information can be found on the submissions page, please refer to the link below.

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